Igniting mechanism for explosive-engines.



A. WINTON & H. B. ANDERSON. IGNITING MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVB ENGINES.

APPIJOATION FILED APRA, 1905.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

STARTING SWITCH HAO'NETO 'I BATTERY $26 GROUND v l vitnmwa UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER WINTON AND HAROIaD IB. ANDERSON, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORSTO THE WINTON MOTOR CARRIAGE OOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IGNITING- MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 4-, 1905. Serial No. 253,742.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, ALEXANDER WINTON and HAROLD B. ANDERSON, citizensof thp United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahogaand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inIgniting Mechanism for Explo- Siva-Engines, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in ignition mechanism forexplosive engines, and is particularly intended for use in connectionwith four-cylinder explosive engines in automobiles.

The primary object of this invention is to so arrange the sparkingmechanism of a four-cylinder explosive engine that a nonvibratlng coilcan be made to produce a spark in the proper cylinder ,by means of astarting switch in a battery circuit for starting the engine, afterwhich a current interrupter operated by the engine is brought intooperation for causing the spark at the proper time, and in the propercylinden' A further object of this invention is to combine in 'thesparking mechanism of a four-cylinder explosive engine, a battery, amagneto generator (preferably of the well known Remy type) operated bythe engine, and a non-vibrating'sparking or induction coil, in such amanner'that the enginecan be started by a starting switch in the batterycircuit, and the sparking current thereafter furnished either by themagneto or the battery for running the engine as desired.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammatlc. view of ourimproved sparkin mechanism. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view showingthe interrupter contact points and the connections therewith.

Referring now to the drawings, 1, 2, 3 and 4 indicate thediagrammaticsparking points and circuit wires for the respectivecylinders of a four-cylinder explosive engine. A distributor 5 fordistributing the secondary current to the respective points is provided.

We here show a particular form of, distributer, which will be presentlyexplained in detail.

A sparking or induction coil of the nonvibrator type for producing thesecondary current for the sparking points 1, 2, 3 and 4, is a feature ofour present invention, and is placed in a box'or receptacle 6. This coilmay be of the usual type,- and has a primary coil 7 and a secondary coil8. Opposite ends 9 and 10 of the secondary coil 8 are respectivelyconnected with the external secondary terminals 9' and 10. The oppositeends 11 and 12 of the primary coil 7 are respectively connected with theexternal primary terminals 11 and 12.

A battery 14 has one pole connected with a battery point 15 of asuitable circuit switch 16, through a suitable connection 17, and theopposite pole 18 is suitably grounded to the engine or frame. Thiscircuit switch is here shown of a form which has a lever 19 swirgin froma point 20. A connection 21 electrically connects the point 20 with theprimary terminal 11. The coil box 6 also preferably contains a condenser22, which has one of its terminals 23 connected with the externalprimary terminal 12', and its opposite terminal or pole 24 connectedwith the ground connections 26 and 27.

An electrical connection 28 has. one end connected, with the point 29 ofthe circuit switch 16, and its opposite end connected.

with the point 54, and the point 54 is suitably connected with andreceives the current from the magneto 31. This magneto 31 has its base32 directly. attached to the engine, and itself forms through theinterrupter arm 33, and interrupter spring 34. A connecting point 35 isinsulated from the m neto base and engine or motor, and is electricallyconnected with the stationary interrupter point 36, which co-acts withthe point 37 on the interrupter arm 33.

It will be observed that the expandin spring 34 tends to hold the points36 and 37 of the interrupter normally together, and the interrupter armis actuated against the spring to separate the said oints and interruptor break the circuit, y a double cam 38. This cam 38 is fast to a shaftand is operatively connected with the en ine to revolve at the samespeed as the engine crankshaft. From this, 1t will beun'derstood thatthe double cam actuates the interrupter twice for each revolution of theengine 105 Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

a ground connection is attached to the armature of the magneto, andrevolves with it. I ture revolves at one half the speed of the camshaft39 Attached to the insulating plate 39, is a 'distributing segment 41.Resting upon this distributing segment41 at about the center of themagneto armature, is a flat spring 42, which electrically con- -nectsthe said segment with the point 43.

This point 43 is electrically connected with the secondary terminal 9'by a suitable connection'44. The other secondary terminal 10' isconnected with the ground by the connection 45, as shown, and theconnecting point 35 is connected with the primary terminal 12' by anelectrical connection 46.

What we term a starting switch 47 is provided, and adapted to make andbreak the said primary terminal 12 and the ground 26, and when releasedthis electrical connection is broken. The distributing segment is shownin the position it assumes when the engine stops, as it usually does,

with a crank-shaft at right angles to the cylinder.

This invention is particularly devised for usein connection with a fourcylinder fourcycle type of explosive engine, which in practice is foundto usually stop with one cylinder in condition to be fired.

In order to adapt the distributer for our starting arrangement, thedistributer -seg-- ment 41 is made longer on the rear side so as tothrowthe spark into the cylinderhaving the piston part way down. Thedotted line shows the length of the segment before being adapted by usfor our invention.

Having thus described the several elements, connections and arrangementsof parts, we will now describe the operation thereof, first, when thestarting switch is used;-. second, when the battery is used to run themotor, and third, when the magneto is used to furnish the current.To'st-art the engine, the battery current must be used to cause a sparkin the cylinder, and therefore the battery circuit must be closed andopened. This is accomplished for starting the engine by placing thelever 19 of the circuit switch on the battery point 15,

and pushing in upon the starting switch button 48. The battery circuitis then The magneto armaclosed and the current is as followsfrom pole aof the battery to point 15, lever 19, point 20, connection 21, primarycoil 7 to primary terminal 12', connection 51, starting switch andconnection 52 to ground 26, and from ground 26 to the battery ground 18,which is connected to the opposite=pole b of the battery. This may beaptly termed the auxiliary battery circuit. When the starting switchbutton is released the auxiliary battery circuit through the primarycoil is broken, which causes the indlfction coil 8 to send its currentfrom the sec;

ondary terminal 9 through connection 44,

spring 42 and the distributing segment to the point 1', which leads tothe sparking point 2, thus causing a spark in its cylinder for startingthe engine. The initial spark for starting having been caused as justdescribed, by the starting switch, and the engine started, theinterrupter arm 33 is immediately brought into operation by the enginefor making and breaking the battery circuit, and the distributer segment41 distributes the secondary current to the'cylin: ders in successionthrough the respective connections, and the battery circuit is as follows :from pole at of the battery, connection 17, point 15, lever 19,point 20, connection 21, terminal 11, primary coil 7, terminal 12,connection 46 to point 35, interrupter points 36 and 37, interrupter arm33,

grounded spring 34 to ground 18 and the 1 opposite pole b of thebattery. The current for running the engine will thus be provided by thebattery as long as the circuit switch ver 19 remains on the point 15.This circuit will for convenience be termed the main battery circuit. Itis intended, however, to run the engine by the magneto currentafter itis started, and this is accomplished as follows :The circuit switchlever 19 is moved over to point 29' and the magneto current then flows.from the mag-' neto through connection 28, point 29, lever 19, point20, connection 21, terminal 11', primary coil 7, terminal 12, connection46,

point 3536373334 to the ground which completes the magneto circuit. As

, before stated, the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1 when theengine stops, and

it will be observed that the interrupter points are out of contact,sothat the main battery circuit is open.

We do not limit ourselves to the details here shown, as they may bevaried and changed without materially altering our invention, andwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is I 1. A sparking mechanism -formultiple cylinderengines, comprising a non-vibrating primary-coil, a secondary coiltherefor,

a generator circuit including said primary coil, an engine operatedgenerator in said circuit, a circuit interrupter in said generatorcircuit operated by the engine, a battery circuit independent of thegenerator circuit, a battery within the battery circuit, a secondarycircuit for said secondary coil, sparking points in said secondarycircuit, a manually operated circuit making and breaking device in thebattery circuit, and an engine operated distributer in the secondarycircuit automatically selecting the proper s ark gap when the engine isat rest and the battery circuit is opened and closed by the saidmanually operated make and break device independently of the engineoperated circuit interrupter, for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a multiple cylinder explosive engine, of asparking mechanism including a non-vibrating primary coil, a secondarycoil, a battery, a magneto, a battery and a magneto circuit eachincluding said primary coil, an interru ter inboth said battery andmagneto circuits, the

interrupter and magneto operated by the engine, a secondary circuitincluding the secondary coil and also sparking points for the enginecylinders, a distributer for the secondary circuit connected with themagneto armature, a circuit switch common to the battery and magnetocircuits, and an electric make and break device in the battery circuitindependent of the engine interrupter.

In testimony whereof we. afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ALEXANDER \VINTON. HAROLD B. ANDERSON. Witnesses:

CHAS. B. SHANKS, E. C. RANNEY.

